Aspartame, aka: Nutrasweet® or Equal®, is an Artificial sweetener commonly seen in restaurants, coffee shops and other places in the little pink or blue packages. I read somewhere it puts the DIE in diet and I believe that is so true!
What are some common products that aspartame is often found in?
-diet soda pop
-chewing gum
-yogurt, pudding and jello
-“diet” food products
-children’s chewable vitamins
-some juices
-some meal replacement shakes or bars
-jellies & jams
-coffee creamers
-mostly anything labeled “sugar-free”
-many more
Natural News stated that, “In 1965, James Schlatter, a chemist for G.D. Searle, was developing an anti-ulcer drug when he accidentally stumbled upon aspartame. Made up of aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%), aspartame is 200 times sweeter than natural sugar.” So someone developing a drug (for ulcers) tasted the stuff and said, “Hum, this stuff tastes good.”
Adverse reactions and side effects of aspartame include:
Eyes
blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes
Ears
tinnitus – ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment
Neurological
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and some severe
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors
Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias
Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure
Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing
Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma
Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS
Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection
Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all:
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies
Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
With all of these effects, why do I see people using aspartame daily? Drinking a diet soda, even worse letting their kids drink a diet soda thinking it is better for them. In my heart, I’m screaming, PLEASE don’t give them that.
The other day I saw a family at the same restaurant we were at, they ordered unsweet tea for their 4 or 5 year old and tore open the pink artificial sweetener and poured it in for him. We have to spread the word about this!
What are your thoughts on artificial sweeteners?
Source: http://www.sweetpoison.com/
It’s Healthy 2day Wednesdays 13th Link Up! So glad you’re here! Thank you for stopping by! Hope you’ll take a second to read some of the other entries! I hope we will all learn something to help make our families healthier! Check out last week’s link up for a lot of great tips.
Each week, I am going to choose 3 posts that really stuck out to me, something that I thought would be encouraging to everyone. (if you would like to nominate someone, please email me)
My top 3 entries from last week:
Sugar Detox Challenge
-one mom’s journey to remove sugar (in all forms) out of her house & diet
Homemade Fudgesicles
-5 ingredients to make yummy desserts your whole family will love
Is Colostrum Liquid Gold?
-5 reason why colostrum is liquid gold!
Rules for this Link up:
- Share an idea, tip, recipe, things to avoid, something new to try, alternative medicine, going “green” tips, etc. that will help us to remain or become more healthy!
- If this is your first time participating read & get button here
- Comment on someone who linked up
- Add button or link back to that days link up
- Spread the word so we can learn more ideas on keep our families healthy! If you’re not participating today, I hope you’ll come back & join in!
- Ideas: homebirths, natural remedies, an interesting article, something eco-friendly, a review your doing, natural cleaner, alternative medicine, How to’s, the list goes on & on!
Don’t forget to enter the natural & organic My True Nature product GIVEAWAY! (here) To be eligible, you must live in the USA. OPEN until August 10th!
About Rachel
Thank you for hosting this link up, Rachel! And thank you for linking back to my colostrum post! I feel honored! 🙂
I posted about water kefir grains — how to store them, maintain them, and buy them so you’ll always have great water kefir at home.
Hi Rachel, thanks so much for hosting! And thank you for highlighting my Homemade Fudgesicles recipe from last week, I am honored 🙂 I shared a nourishing Chocolate Elderberry Fudge recipe (with dairy-free option). It’s simple to make and so yummy. Thanks again!
Hi Rachel,
I shared my GF Blueberry Sunflower Cake and two articles I hope you enjoy!
Rachel, I am so glad to see a post on the dangers of aspartame. My husband has flare ups of his excema if he has even a little aspartame, we avoid it like the plague.
I have also read in “Why We Get Fat” by Gary Taubes that the use of artificial sweeteners actually triggers the release of insulin just as if we had eaten sugar causing us to gain weight so it doesn’t even help with weight loss. I think this is why the labels always say diabetics shouldn’t use it without talking to their doctor first because our bodies still react as if we are eating sugar.
We stay away from all artificial sweeteners in our home, and try to educate those we love.
Thank you for a great post.
Ann
ps I’d like to link back to this from my blog if it is ok to get the information out there.
Sharing our latest muffin recipe–it’s not sugar free, but it is definitely low sugar. We do have a sugar-free recipe coming soon, though. 🙂
This was a great post, Rachel! Will be sharing this info…
Blessings to you and yours!
Great post! I’m linking my gluten-free, sugar-free Apricot Slice…no artificial sweeteners or anything artificial in this!
WHEW! Artificial sweeteners give me the freak out after reading The UnHealthy Truth by Robyn O’Brien. I can’t believe I used to plug myself full of that mess. BLECH!
Rachel — For your blog carnival pleasure, we created a page on Facebook to help obsessive carnival participants find carnivals, including yours.:) Check it out: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Foods-Healthy-Lives-Blog-Carnivals/148426998572837
🙂
This is such an important subject in the field of health! It breaks my heart to see my family still drinking Diet Coke thinking it’s the ‘healthier’ version.
Especially when they give it to the children because “we don’t want them to have too much sugar! They’ll be bouncin’ off the walls!” So give them good ol’ fashion water for cryin’ out loud
Thank you for hosting, Rachel. Today I linked up a post on natural breast health that I dedicated to my grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. A little extra TLC can help keep “the girls” in great shape.
Thanks for sharing! I didn’t realize that so many of these symptoms were related to aspartame.
Thanks for the info!! What an eye opener! We use organic cane sugar (it’s the tan color)…I know it’s not great, but it’s a little better than the white sugar (i think). annejk112233(at)yahoo(dot)com